Begin again
by Polkadot4427
Summary: Set a few years after Mockingjay, Haymitch starts to have feelings for Effie, and she finds comfort in him as she struggles to define herself without the capitol. When Effie is reaped for the games she is shocked, but was is karma for sending so many kids to their death?
1. Chapter 1

It's been six years since Katniss put an arrow in President Coin's head. Life has changed so much in Panem, like food is being manufactured for the whole country. Most people are being fed as they should, but for me Haymitch Abernathy I'm the same person I've always been. I'll drink my liquor go home and pass out, then repeat.

Katniss and Peeta They got married and punched out a couple kids, as expected they are Panem's sweethearts. Her daughter is a curly haired sweetheart named Rose, she looks a lot like Prim but we would never say that to Katniss. Their son is a carbon copy of Peeta they named him Kelton. He is a dirty child no matter what you do the kid comes home covered head to toe with mud.

We didn't stay in District 13, it was too crowded, since it is now the new capitol of Panem. We live in the woods just outside the remains of District 12. I reminds us of home, and Katniss can hunt with her son. Even Effie lives here, I remember the first day she spent in the woods.

"What if we run into bears? Or some kind of Mutt that the Capitol released into the wild? I do not have the skills to fight a mutt. Ladies do not fight mutts!" She said walking in mud with three inch heels. "Effie let me tell you now, Katniss is going to want to teach you to hunt." Peeta says taking her arm when she starts to slip. "These are designer shoes! Peeta help me up!" Peeta struggles with her but in the end he ends up in the mud. "You know Queen Effie, heels are not meant for hiking." I say kicking up some mud onto her shoes. "HAYMITCH! These are designer and you have them covered in muck!" She starts whining and flailing her arms. Peeta was once again at her side but I wasn't having it. "Peeta don't help her." I tell him motioning for him to come here. "No, he has to help me get through the muck!" Effie says. Peeta shakes his head at me like I thought he would. "Peeta she has to do it for herself; Now let go of her." I command. "Haymitch I can't do that to her." He says.

Then I trip Effie Trinket in the mud, she screams like I had just stabbed her. "Why would you do that?" Peeta yells trying to help her. "Haymitch you unimaginable drunkard!" Effie cries.

When we walk through the door to Peeta and Katniss's house we're caked with mud and Effie has a branch in her purple hair. "What in the hell happened to you! Get out, get out, get out! Go out back and hose yourselves off! I sent you guys to go pick up Effie not try to drown her in a mud pit." Katniss nags like a old woman. "Now you're the one that needs to loosen your corset." I snare walking out of the door. "I don't have a corset, motor mouth!" She retorts.

In the back Effie is still sulking, claiming we had ruined her precious shoes. "Get over it Queenie it's a symbol of the capitol anyway." I say turning on the water hose. "That may be so but, they are still beautiful and- COLD!" She yelps when I spray her down with a water hose. "I'd close your mouth if I was you." I tell her, and she just glares at me.

When I'm done her hair lays flat, most her capitol makeup had washed off. She didn't look half bad without her beehive. She notices me staring, "Please don't stare I know I'm horrifying, I don't need you to recite it." She straightens herself and then asks, "Where do I even live?"

"Do you want me to take you?" I ask using the hose on myself. "I'd rather not, all you do is cause mischief; would you peeta?" She asks. "I would Effie but, I think Katniss is already mad enough at me for tracking mud into the house. I better go and be with her, you understand right?" He explains.

"Oh fine, come on Haymitch but don't try anything funny." She warns, trying to look stern. "What would you do if I did? Ladies don't fight mutts remember?" I say with a sly smile. She doesn't respond she just follows my lead. It doesn't take long to get to Effie's cabin, since we all live close together.

"Thank you, now you can leave." She says shooing me. "You know the human look is quite nice on you." I try to compliment her. "Haymitch please, I've had a bad day don't make fun of me." She turns to slam the door in my face but, I stop it with my elbow. "I wasn't making fun of you. I'm just saying you don't need the make up and the purple hair to be beautiful." I got out what I wanted to say, I wait for her reply. But she just stands there studying me. "What?" I ask. "You've never complimented me before." She says with a small smile. "I've never seen the real you... Well I don't think anyone has to be honest. I've seen glimpses of it, like when you cried at the quarter quell. That was you peeking through." I say feeling odd suddenly. "I've never even seen the real me." She says and she closes the door.

The next morning Effie wore her hair down, it landed right before her chin. "Did you run all out of hair supplies Effie?" Katniss asks when she sees her. "No I'm just trying the _human _look." She doesn't look at me but I know what she's talking about. "It looks nice, Effie." I say buttering my toast and picking up a bottle of alcohol. Katniss looks at us both confused, "What's going on?"

Just then Kelton, Their son runs in the room with a dirty face. "Haymitch look I'm going to be like my daddy and hide in a rock!" He says. "I think you need a few more lessons first." I tell him rustling his blonde hair. "Where is your sister?" Katniss asks offering him a plate of fried eggs. "In the paint studio with daddy, they kicked me out when I got into the paint." She takes a washcloth to his face. "I give him ten minutes he will be dirty again." I say, then I notice Effie's been next to me the whole time. "I need to talk to you." She whispers.

She takes me to her cabin, and she commands me to sit in her 'Greeting room.' The woman had only been her one day and the place was already capitol like. "I need to know something." She says. "Boy oh boy what did you do to this place?" I ask horrified. "I added the Effie touch." She replies with a ring. "You can take the girl from the capitol but you can't take the capitol from the girl." I remark looking at the mahogany tables. "Just never mind, what was I thinking. You've always been a insensitive fool and always will be." She says angrily.

She storms off leaving me alone in her living room. I had hurt her feelings, but that's what we do she calls me a drunkard and I call her annoying and spoiled. What had changed?

I was about to leave when I see a picture on her end table. It's a capitol family, Effie's family. In the picture it shows two parents and three kids. Effie must have had brothers. "What are you doing?" I drop the picture as Effie re-enters the room. "Who are these people." I ask picking it up again. "Never mind that, I want to know why you are snooping in my house." She demands. "Well maybe because you took me over here just to storm out, and have a hissy fit." I retort. "Well it was my mistake, I had thought you could actually act like a human being with _manors_ for once. I was obviously wrong, and you need to leave Haymitch." She says trying to escort me out. "No! I want to know why suddenly you care what I think of you, and care what I do. The last time I checked you didn't give a damn about me! Like the rest of this damn country." I stand my ground. I've came here for answers and I am not going to leave without them.

"What makes you think I've never cared about you?" She asks. "Oh come on Effie, why would you? I'm _scum_, I'm a _drunkard_, I _disgust _you, I am _revolting. _Does that sound like a woman that gives a damn about you?" I yelled with everything shes ever said to me. "I say a lot of things Haymitch, and so do you! I'm a spoiled brat, I have to sense of reality, lets not forget princess twinkle toes... The list goes on and on, and yet here we are." She says with angry years in her eyes. "Here we are, and what exactly are we here for?" I ask letting her as always answer the questions. "We are here for Katniss and Peeta." She says then. "Is that all?" I ask. "I'm not sure yet." She answers so low I almost don't hear her.

"When you figure it out, I'll be over at my place having a drink." I say. It's been months since that day. But I can see it over and over in my head like a broken record.


	2. Up she goes

**Authors note: **

** I must confess it's been a minute since I've read Mocking jay so please at any time if you see anything inaccurate please don't be shy to point it out. Please and thank you!**

There was something about today that was a bit off, for it would have been reaping day. In the back of my mind I am still in that set of mind, you can't just shut it off. My state of mind and my point of view will forever be changed by the games. I'm not the same person I was about twenty five years ago, I wasn't the same when I claimed innocent people's lives. I'm not the same person as I stumble down drunk every night to ease my pain. "There's some big news update today," Effie said turning on the television. "Who cares what they have to say? I sure as hell don't!" I say picking up my bottle of liquor and take a big long drink. "Give me that Haymitch! I want you sober through what ever this is." She says taking my bottle away. "Why don't you have a little sip of it yourself? I'd like to see the Queen act out of accord for once." I say burping up gas bubbles. "Shh! It's starting!" She says hitting my shoulder.

President Paylor takes stage behind a Panem banner. "Fellow Citizens of Panem, in respect to the anniversary of the reaping, we will be participating in a mock games. This time it is not just for the children" She says and then pauses. She seams to collect her thoughts before saying her next statement. "I ask for all of you to visit your town square, and I'll meet you there to explain." Then the broadcast is finished. "What is this?" I scream out. "Haymitch relax she said it was a mock games, no one will be harmed." She explained to me trying to calm my nerves. "Nothing good has ever came out of the games, or the reaping. I don't have a good feeling about this thing." I say getting up to take a drink of liquor. "Come on Haymitch, we need to leave now." Effie says dragging me out the door when we see Katniss punching her cabin. "I told them, no games! Not for the capitol, not for the districts, not for any one! Paylor promised me that one thing." She kicks a brick, if she wasn't so angry she would probably be in pain. "Haymitch what is this? I am not going through one more reaping, I can't do it!" She says when she finally notices that I'm here. "I'm pissed off too, I just want to get to the bottom of this." I say moving through the crowd.

In the half re-built town square, the president's face appears on every screen. "This reaping will include everyone except District 13 officers and our country's leaders. As always may the odds be ever in your favor." She says and the screen goes black; I turn to Effie and Katniss, "I have a bad feeling about this, she is very vague." I say. "Haymitch, you're being paranoid why would Paylor want to kill innocent people?" She asks me. "I don't know you tell me! why did Snow and Coin kill innocent people? Who is to say that power has gone to Paylor's head? Would you get your head out of your designer shoes and back into reality? The problem her is the power." I say as a few officers take stage. "Ladies first!" The man exclaims drawing his hand into the larger then ever bowl of names. "Effie Trinket!" He yells out. The air in my lungs deflate, she looks shocked. "Haymitch... I'm starting to think this really is the-" The officers take her away before she could finish her sentence. "EFFIE! NO!" I scramble to my feet but the ground shakes from under me. "I volunteer! I am the tribute! Please let me save her!" I scream out from the chard broken ground. "My Effie, please, please come back." I cry, my mind echos her name until I forget what words are.

_ " Josephine on her flying machine; up she goes, up she goes." My mother sings to me holding me with a death grip. "Mommy! Stop it! I'm not Josephine!" I scream covering my ears. "Up she goes, up she goes." She repeats. "Sing with me Josephine, sing! Up she goes, up she goes." I start to cry, I thrash at my mother. "Stop it! I'm not Josephine! SHE'S DEAD!" I scream out, tears washing out my face. "Up she goes, up she goes." She sings again and again. "Mommy loves you Josephine." She says holding me so tight I can't breathe. "DADDY! HELP ME!" I scream with what breath I have left. Mom only holds me tighter. "Up she goes, up she goes." She says again, "Josephine died in the games mommy! Let me go!" Just then my dad bust through the door. "Lorraine, let him go! That's Haymitch not Josephine." All I can hear is sobbing and the world goes dark. _

"Haymitch please wake up, please... Oh please!" I hear a woman cry. "Oh god! Oh god! Please Haymitch." She says shaking my body. "Careful there Sweetheart. You wouldn't want to shake too hard." I moan feeling like I've been hit by a truck. "Oh Haymitch you're okay!" Effie says hugging me. "You know me, I'll make it through anything; in a past life I was a cockroach." I try joking through the situation. "It's not a time to be joking Haymitch something bad is happening, something really bad." She says. "What's going on?" I ask after a beat. "We are going to be in the very first Panem Games." She says with a tone that I've never heard her use before. "What?" I ask, confused. " We can win this thing Haymitch. Together. Two people from each District can win." She says and then she wraps her arms around me, "I'm just glad you're okay! I love-" She stops dead in her tracks. "Effie I-" I'm shocked but then she suddenly says "I love you, Haymitch Abernathy! There I said it." She says slightly blushing. "Eww.. " I mumble. "What do you mean eww?" she asks taken aback. "Eww you love a old revolting fool as me?" I tease and she glares. "Just never mind I don't know what I-"

"I love you too, Effie." I interrupt before her annual hissy fit. "You what?" She says leaning closer to me. "I love you!" I exclaim, strangely that's the moment she bursts into tears. "And now we are going to die!" She screams latching onto me. "I won't let you die Effie, our love will live on." I say. "I can't fight Haymitch! I'm a useless spoiled capitol girl. I'll be dead before the Games even begin." She says folding into a ball, crying. "I'm going to teach you. Everyone is good at something." I say kissing her forehead. "Don't worry about a thing." I whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note: **

** You guys are so nice! I loved reading the comments, they inspired me to jump right into making the next chapter, thank you so much. You don't even know how nice it is of you guys to stop and leave a message of encouragement! It's just makes my day! :) Oh and Haymitch says a bad word in this chapter. **

** "**This has to be the longest train ride I've taken in a really long time." I say making small talk with Effie. She doesn't pay any attention to me shes just clutching onto a butter knife. "Haymitch am I holding this knife right?" She asks. "Yeah you got the right idea there, but you don't need the death grip." I say right when lets it fly. I hear a loud crash. Effie had managed to throw the butter knife through the window. "What are you doing!" I scream as a officer bursts through the door. "What's was that sound?" A big brute of a man says. "Well come on tell me!" He repeats.

"Well... I might have broke the window." Effie says edging away from the man. "How did you break the window?" He asks dumbfounded. "She is terrible at darts, sailed right out the window. I think it killed a deer a while back. I'd go back and strap that puppy on the top of this train. You can eat it later when me and Effie here are fighting for our lives and you sit here braiding your ass hair." I say with not having it from this guy. "How about you watch your mouth Abernathy?" I man threats me. "Bring it on, I'm not afraid of anyone! I'll kick your ass right here, right now!" I smile and punch out the other window. I wake up on the floor with a broom and dustpan next to me, attached to it is a note. _Hey there Mr. Abernathy, you probably don't remember this but, I tased you. This here is a broom, now use it to clean up that mess. _

"Effie where are you?" I call out stumbling a bit. "I'm not cleaning it up, you were the one that did it." She says from the dining car. "That's not what I was asking!" I say sitting across from her. "I was going to tell you, that your knife throwing skills need some work." She glares at me. "This is still so weird, because I want to slap you, but I want to kiss you at the same time." She says placing her soft delicate hand over mine. "I have that effect on people." I say. "Don't be insulted, okay? I have something that's been on my mind." I ask cautiously. "Oh boy, what is it?" She asks.

"Have you ever been romantically involved with a man?" I ask. "Why do you want to know?" She asks leery. "I just want to know you, I feel like you are such a secret person." I say. "I'm not a secret person Haymitch, it's just that there isn't much a Capitol girl has to tell." She says "I'm not too sure where to start.. You see many years ago Snow tried to have me married off some to a victor. There was one problem he was far too young for me. Not to mention I didn't even know him except for his presence in the games. It was when I learned that he had a girl waiting for him at home I decided I just couldn't go through with it."

"I told Snow I'll do anything but, I refuse to marry that poor boy." She stopped a moment, the air in the room had suddenly shifted. "Snow was mad but then he remembered that he could never get anyone to do the reaping in District 12, so here we are. Snow is dead and that young boy he wanted me to marry is dead ." She doesn't say anything. "I'm sorry that happened to you Effie." I touch her shoulder gently. She shrugs and stares out the window, "We are almost to District 13. If I was you I would prepare yourself." She says. The intercom sounds then, "Welcome to District 13, tributes. Please stay in your seat until the train has come to a complete stop. " The voice says. "Eh, been there done that." I say sinking back in my chair. "Effie are you sure that you are okay?" I ask as a single tear falls down her face. "That story just gets me every time." She says getting up. "Oh and you never did clean that mess up." She tells me, I walk right on by it on purpose. "I'll let ass hair get that." Effie gives me a stern look and says. "Haymitch, _language_!"

"I'm sorry, _butt_ hair!" I correct myself just to make Effie happy.

Just as in the Hunger Games we dress up to impress the people. "Honey we have do something with that nasty hair!" One would say and then the other would comment, "Highlights! He needs some color his hair is so dull!" They poked around at me for about an hour until I even met my stylist. "Hayfield! I heard I got you!" Tigris says entering the room with five foot hair and what looks like cat eye contacts. "It's Haymitch, and Lord haven't I been tortured enough?" I say to the ceiling. "Relax there Haymunch, I'm going to give you a nice subtle look." She says playing with my hair awkwardly. "About time someone does something with your hair!" She screeches, and drags her finger down to my chin. "You look quite handsome for a old alcoholic." She coos into my ear. "Girly you need to keep your hands to yourself or else you will need a tetanus shot!" I warn her.

"What ever you do." I say putting on a skin tight black body suit. "Don't set me on fire that's getting so old!" Right when turn the corner I see Tigris holding a blow torch. "Haymate flames are cool!" She whines. "Girly do I look like the fiery, passionate kind of guy? No, I don't think so." I say frankly. "Let's not mention what you people already did to my hair! I look like I should be singing karaoke at a gay bar!" I say once I seen myself in the mirror. "Haylick it's not even real fire, don't be a wuss." She challenges. "Do I look like I'm a wuss?" I ask throwing her a scowl. "The biggest I've seen!" She says, "And trust me I've seen terrible things." She echos. "Is that right? Well I've_ done _terrible things! And you know what? Go ahead light me up!" I exclaim.

She happily sets me on fire. "Where's Effie?" I ask when the chariots arrive. "I'm right here." She says instantly my jaw drops. She looked stunning! She is dressed in a enormous black ballgown her bodice scattered with millions of tiny chocolate diamonds. The silk of her dress swirls and shapes into giant lace loops that cover the bottom for the gown. It then continues going down to the floor leading to a train that seams to go on forever. In a strange way it almost looked like a wedding gown. "They changed your hair." I say running my hair through it. Her newly colored Raven black hair falls just below her shoulders and curls slightly at the end. The part I liked the most is that she didn't look like the capitol at all! There were no neon colors to be found. For the first time she looked like Effie. "You look stunning when you're not hidden under the Capitol clothes." I say with a subtle wink. "Haymitch you old handsome dog, you." she smiles and kisses my cheek. I help her into the chariot, soon we are introduced to the District 13 crowd. Soon we appear on the screen and like the past two years we burst into flames. The crowd cheers but, some people were expecting to see the flames.

"The people love you Effie." I say to her smiling. "No they are cheering because you finally got a haircut!" She jokes. "You're getting sassy in your old age!" I exclaim forgetting people were still watching us. "Shh!" She starts laughing up a storm. "Effie why are you are causing a scene here? Jeez!" I say when the horses have stopped. "I would like to welcome you all to the very First Panem Games!" She say and then pans to the crowd. "The capitol people have ruled us for so long!" She exclaims to the heavens. "It's our turn to be the backbone they never had." Then a man in the audience stands up. "If you want to punish the Capitol then why are we all in the Panem Games?" He asks fearlessly. "Very good question!" She say. "No one is safe from doing the same thing the Capitol has done my comrades, How can we learn from their mistakes if we don't remember them?" She asks the crowd. "Panem Games is a reminder to not be like the capitol. Remember tributes District 13 is not your enemy the Capitol and their Hunger games is the wickedness that is ruining our perfect world."

"Do you have the slightest idea of how stupid that sounds? You are going to kill innocent people so that people will be reminded not to kill people? Isn't that like telling a kid not to run with scissors, but then you turn around and give it to them anyway?" The man challenges the president. "You will be **SILENT!**" She screams so loud there is eight echos. The man quietly takes his seat and then she repeats the famous motto. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" She smiles down like a serpent. "I bet she has ass hair," I whisper to Effie and she giggles. Before I took off my costume I took Effie on the roof. "In the training you have to stick with me the whole time, we can't spend precious time goofing around." I say to her matter of factually. "If I die please don't give up." She says to me. "What?" I ask. "In the Games, don't just give up because I am gone... Fight for me Haymitch." She says. "I'd kill that son of a bitch, Effie. I wouldn't rest until his cannon is fired." I shed a tear for the first time in years. "I love you so much, you know that don't you?" I ask pouring out my heart. "I would never ever hurt you Effie, our love will live on." Suddenly she looks up at me, her eyes twinkling in the flames coming from our outfits. "Forever," She whispers. I lean in so close I can feel her warmth. I breathe her name and she replies with my own. Her lips brush against mine and suddenly we were kissing. It seamed to last for hours, the touch of her lips forever on mine. But then she stops, I look at her bewildered."I had to breathe silly." She says softly. She looks deep into my eyes as if she can see my soul. We just stand there staring are one another. Somehow it's more intimate than the kiss. When I look up the flames on our outfits had turned into a sweltering blue blase and embers swept and stirred all around us like fireflies. "We need to go," she says then. "Let them wait, I've waited a lifetime for right now." I say going in for yet another kiss.


End file.
